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<title>Yet another fic where dave and karkat watch a movie and then talk about feelings wait no don't go come back by CaffeinatedCopyeditor</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29927793">Yet another fic where dave and karkat watch a movie and then talk about feelings wait no don't go come back</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedCopyeditor/pseuds/CaffeinatedCopyeditor'>CaffeinatedCopyeditor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Homestuck</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon is a Suggestion, Earth C (Homestuck), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Its only M as a precaution this is like very fluffy, M/M, Mentions of Bro Strider - Freeform, Movie Night, Not Epilogue Compliant, Trauma, a little bit of Alternian lore, as a treat, they are so in love okay like so in love like wow so in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:54:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29927793</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaffeinatedCopyeditor/pseuds/CaffeinatedCopyeditor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You look up. He’s stopped drawing, hand clutching his pencil like he’s going to break it. You can’t see his eyes, but his face is turned towards yours, as though he’s searching for something. He looks frightened.<br/>-<br/>Dave and Karkat doodle whilst watching a movie. Something Karkat draws is familiar to Dave in a trauma kinda way. They talk it out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Yet another fic where dave and karkat watch a movie and then talk about feelings wait no don't go come back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Will I ever stop writing fics where Dave and Karkat watch a movie and talk to eachother? Ha.</p><p>Thorough warnings! (Contains spoilers): References to Karkat's traumas (the dark, Alternian 'justice' system, running from drones, Gamzee violence, self-hatred), References to Dave's traumas (Abusive bro strider, lil Cal,), panic, breathing exercises, swearing, fidgeting/being unable to sit still, simile about a bone breaking, sexual references (in the form of dick/buldge doodling). Most dark stuff is vague and only talked about or remembered. No actual violence takes place within the fic.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One of the many things you love about Dave Strider (and fuck, there are a lot of them) is how he sits still about as well as you do. Which means, basically, that he never sits fucking still. </p><p>Take now, for example. The two of you are less than an hour into this movie and, by your expert count, Dave has participated in no less than fifteen different physical distractions. Your personal favourite is how he moves his hands when he talks. You always do these huge, exaggerated gestures to get your point across, but Dave’s are…smaller. Neater. Tiny wrist swivels and air quotes and that weird DJ thing he does. You hate yourself for finding him so endearing.</p><p>Its nice though, because it means he doesn’t get mad at you for not staying still. Its why he’s your favourite person to watch movies with – as well as being your favourite person in general. You hate sitting still, because it reminds you of all the times you’ve had to stay still (<em>in the dark, in a hole, in an alleyway, behind the market, beneath a fucking vent</em>). Egbert has better taste, but gets pissed if you don’t watch the screen. Kanaya is more patient, but grows irritated by too much fidgeting. Dave is just Dave, right there with you in processing all that bullshit trauma stuff into a mess of waving limbs.</p><p>‘Karkles, quite zoning out, we’ve got a masterpiece to work on.’</p><p>‘Shut your word trap, Strider, this doodle-sheet looks like garbage.’</p><p>The two of you have been scribbling for the past ten minutes or so, in the notebook that you keep for specifically this, whilst the movie drones on in the background. Dave chose it, so you try to pay enough attention to ensure you will understand his post-movie commentary later, but you honestly cannot remember what its fucking called. Its set in space, with some obvious rip-off of the Condesce’s army, but for some reason the empress is wearing a bucket on her head and wielding a glowstick? You’ll never understand earth humour.</p><p>You continue scribbling at the mess you and Dave are making. On his side of the sheet, he has drawn a predictable number of dicks. He has also drawn a considerable number on your side of the sheet. He’s at least gotten a little more diverse over the years, though, as he’s thrown in a couple of cartoony buldges for good measure. You ignore him as you focus on the screen, letting your hand habitually trace out familiar shapes and patterns. Suddenly, Dave stiffens beside you.</p><p>‘Dude. Karkat, stop.’</p><p>‘Huh?’</p><p>You look up. He’s stopped drawing, hand clutching his pencil like he’s going to break it. You obviously can’t see his eyes, but his face is turned towards yours, as though he’s searching for something. He looks frightened.</p><p>‘Woah, Dave? You okay?’</p><p>Dave’s whole posture has put you on edge. You nervously bite at your lip, checking him over. Did you do something wrong? You know that sudden panic isn’t exactly a rare thing in your shared hive, but you still don’t love to see it.</p><p>‘Yeah. Yes. What the fuck did you just draw though?’</p><p>Scowling, you glance down at the page. If this is some kind joke you are going to kick his entire ass. Its sort of difficult to figure out what he’s referring to, though, because you’ve just been doodling your usual shit. Plants, crabs, sickles, Alternian symbols. Its one of those that Dave is pointing to. Usually you are just pulling stuff from your memory when you scribble like this, so it actually takes you a sec to figure out what the one he is pointing at means. In all fairness, you haven’t been on Alternia for like six sweeps now. Most of these are just muscle memory from your school feeding. But this one…</p><p>‘Oh, that, uh...Shit. Those are symbols, usually painted in public places to indicate like, safety levels and threats and stuff. Though I think that one is a faith symbol?’</p><p>‘Yeah, okay, I’m going to need a little more than that Kitkat.’</p><p>‘Dave, what’s going on?’</p><p>‘I swear I’ll fill you in just, please,’ he looks at you, desperate. ‘I need to know what that is.’</p><p>Okay, now you’re actually getting concerned. You slide back onto the couch so that you can pull up your legs, pressing pause on the TV remote for now. Dave shifts too, so the pair of you can face eachother to actually talk about this. You can tell this is serious, because if you know anyone you know Dave Strider, but you think he’s okay. He’s still using nicknames, so you tell yourself he’s fine. He has to be fine.</p><p>‘Right. Well, uh,’ you scratch nervously at the base of a horn. ‘Symbols like these were used within the clown church, either for worship, or to pass along shitty fucking murder messages. Most non-purples can’t read this shit, I think I only picked up a few from Gamzee. Its probably from one of his crappy wall doodles – the dumbass used to cover his hive in them.’</p><p>‘It was on the wall?’</p><p>‘Yeah?’</p><p>‘Shit.’</p><p>Dave reaches out a hand to you, and you take it immediately. The guy is shaking in that way aliens do when they are nervous. In a different circumstance you mind find it cute, but talking about Gamzee always kind of puts you on edge, and he seems just as tense. Fuck, past-Karkat, why did you have to go and draw something like that? Such an idiot.</p><p>‘I’ve seen it before,’ Dave says, suddenly, like breaking a bone. ‘On my wall. I mean, not my wall. A wall. A wall that was in my house – uh, my hive. Not this one, obviously, I mean-‘</p><p>‘Dave?’</p><p>‘Yuhuh?’</p><p>‘You might want to breathe before you physically implode.’</p><p>Dave chuckles, then nods sharply as he tries to take a few deep breaths. He uses in for seven, out for eleven, because of some dumb human shop he used to like. You prefer in for four, out for six, because who has the fucking patience to count to eleven? Him, apparently, as long as it is motivated by irony. When he’s calmed down enough that you think he might be able to get through a sentence without rambling (a rare thing) you give his hand a squeeze.</p><p>‘My bro used to draw those. Or, I guess maybe Cal did? I can’t remember if that’s the same thing or not. Anyway, I used to hate going into his room, because the walls would be covered in symbols like that.’</p><p>Dave is horribly still in a way that unsettles you. His hands aren’t moving now. One his holding onto yours like a lifeline, whilst the other is held in a trembling fist. You reach for it, and he doesn’t stop you, so you take both of his little shaking palms and press a kiss into each. When you move them to your chest, letting your pump-biscuit tap a rhythm against him, he seems to relax a little.</p><p>‘Sorry,’ you mumble guiltily.’ I wouldn’t have drawn that shit if I knew it had anything to do with your asshole lusus.’</p><p>‘No man, hey,’ Dave shakes his head so violently his shades almost fall off. ‘You didn’t know, it just caught me off guard, is all. Do you remember if we ever, uh, figure out what the connection was between my bro and your clown guy?’</p><p>Oh, you should really know the answer to that. Vriska probably would. But like, there was a lot going on, and you didn’t really pay a lot of attention towards the end of the (third?) session. You were kind of just focused on not becoming one of many very dead trolls.</p><p>You must have pulled a face, because Dave actively laughs at you.</p><p>‘Oh, dude, you look ridiculous. Don’t worry about it, its chill.’</p><p>‘It’s clearly not chill,’ you huff, letting go of his hands to cross your arms. ‘As far as I know, they were both just dicks.’</p><p>You don’t have to say that your relationship with Gamzee is extremely complicated. You don’t talk about how his hive was one of the only places you felt safe on Alternia, or the way his smile made you paler than lusus fur. You don’t have to mention how hard his betrayal hit. That even now you’d love the opportunity to tell that idiot clown what’s on your mind. Its Dave, so you don’t have to say any of that, because he knows.</p><p>Instead, you flip him the bird, just for fun. He laughs again, moving to lean his head against your shoulder in an obnoxiously cute way. Curse his Strider charms.</p><p>‘Curse your Strider charms,’ you say.</p><p>‘You love me really, he quips, and you do. ‘Is it cool if I show Rose that symbol later? Wanna see what she knows.’</p><p>‘Sure. I know some others I can draw if you want?’</p><p>He nods, his shades digging uncomfortable into your arms and he uses you like a pillow.</p><p>'That would be cool. Sorry for flipping out. I just hate seeing shit like that.'</p><p>'Don't apologise, I get it,' you say, then reconsider. 'Actually, maybe I don't? I still love being reminded of Alternia. The good bits, at least. Its why I draw the symbols.'</p><p>'We don't usually talk about  the good bits,' he yawns, settling in now. 'You want to explain some of the other to me some time?'</p><p>'Only if you want. Although, uh,' you rub your neck sheepishly. 'Most of them just indicate different kinds of market stall. I didn't go out enough to memorise the fucking war-code ones.'</p><p>‘Probably for the best,' he snorts. 'Oh! Your gonna have to draw later though - I had a thing I wanted to try. I want to paint your nails next. Claws? Claw nails. Frond nub spikes or something.’</p><p>You shake your head, but go fetch his little paint bottles when he tells you to. You let the movie continue, and your evening does, too.</p><p>Dave’s uneasy for a bit. You don’t blame him. If you could have your way, Dave would never have to be reminded of that asshole ever again. But, unfortunately, the universe still likes to fuck with you both when it gets the chance. Fuck that, though. You think you’ve made it pretty clear that the universe can’t take you down. </p><p>And maybe later, you’ll figure out some kind of cosmic puppet connection that you really didn’t even know. Maybe there will be japes, and shenanigans, and a quest or two. It really doesn’t fucking matter, because you have him and he has you. Dave can get through anything, and come out the other side ready to draw and paint and watch shitty movies.</p><p>Its just one of the many things you love about Dave Strider.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed this kinda drabbly lil thing. Comments/judos are appreciated!! Take care!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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